I sent in an app to a ratty adoption group to adopt two young male rats. I am sitting here, completely nervous, awaiting a reply.

I have been approved by a Greyhound group (I failed a foster with them . . . my Wally), a pit bull group (who I have fostered two dogs through), work at a vet's office, work for a kennel/training center, and have one more class to finish my Animal Science degree . . . yet I am STILL nervous I won't be approved to adopt.

Oh, and I have met and done doggy walks with the woman who is the founder of the rescue.

Oh and I have had 4 rats of my own and ran a small scale rattie rescue in my old apartment where I successfully placed all 7 rescue rats.

I think I need to calm down a little. Where's the wine? Does anyone else get this stressed out about this stuff?

"All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another." -Anatole France

So the girl who read my app (and looked at my pictures because of COURSE I had to add those) told me that my app looked great, and as far as she was concerned I was approved pending any questions from the rest of the people involved in the rescue. She also has to find out where the specific rats I want are being fostered at the moment.

So yay. I just may have two rattlet boys by this weekend. *happy dance*

"All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another." -Anatole France

mnp13 wrote:do you neuter rats or just keep them segrigated from the girls?

good luck on the apps!

Well currently they are all being kept seperate. It is a small scale rescue group, who usually takes on only 15 rats a year (and spays and neuters all who are young enough), but this was a rescue for 107 rats so they cannot afford to spay/neuter them all. I do believe my ratboys are coming intact, though I will be neutering them as it makes them a bit more cuddly and squishy, and of course adds to their life, which is what I want.

"All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another." -Anatole France

Favorite Kitty wrote:What do the ones you want to adopt look like? I cant wait to see pics!

Apparently they are both black bershire top ears (a berk means they have white markings on their undersides and sometimes on their legs/feet). I have not seen pictures, but the woman who runs the rescue said that they are very sweet, but a little timid, and don't do well with other rats. I figured these would be the perfect boys for me because I have the ability to socialize the heck out of them and make them super cuddle muffins, and this way I won't be tempted to get more rats

"All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another." -Anatole France

I'm not sure if these guys have myco just yet. Myco is a respiratory disease that affects 99.9% of pet store rats, so these guys are pretty likely to have it. This is what took the lives of 3 of my previous babies

"All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another." -Anatole France

Oh crap The boys I was going to get are now having aggression issues so they want to neuter them and wait and see if their aggression subsides. *pout* So they sent me the pictures of the rest and I just sent off my top 6 picks, asking for personality over looks, of course! So hopefully they'll get back to me soon with which ones would suit my household. These other guys are a little bit older, but that's okay. I just want ratties, damnit!!!

"All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another." -Anatole France

I'm pretty ticked. So I sent in my top 6 picks, asking for a well matched pair out of them, and I was told that 3 did not get along with the others, and the other three had to go together with another rat because the 4 were so well bonded. I asked if I could just take two because I really do not have the proper caging for 4 rats. I was told, now, that those 4 are being adopted on Sunday and I needed to pick others.

I got fed up and told them to forget about it. I feel like I had been jerked around, especially when, before they even went to pull the rats, I told them if there was a blue dumbo male baby I wanted it, period. Well, upon looking in the gallery there WAS a blue male dumbo baby and it was adopted out . . . I feel out from underneath me. Maybe my requests hadn't been taken into account at all, I have no idea. I just am not happy and really I did not want older rats who could possibly have Myco.

*sigh* So no rats for me until I stumble across the ones I really want.

"All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another." -Anatole France